How to Apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals
Who is eligible?
Household income dictates a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. To receive free meals, household income must fall below 130 percent of the poverty level. For reduced-price meals, household income must be between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Students pay 30 cents for reduced price breakfast and 40 cents for reduced price lunch.
If a family receives food stamps or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the children in that household are eligible for free school meals for as long as the family receives one of these other benefits.
In each case, the household must fill out a school meal application and return it to the child's school. The same application covers both lunch and breakfast. Applications for the School Breakfast and School Lunch Program are available through your school’s main office, or by visiting: Vermont Department of Education Child Nutrition Programs or by calling 1-800-908-5510.
Important note!
Families can re-apply for meals programs ANY time that their financial situation changes. Eligibility for free or reduced-price meals lasts for the entire year, even if the household income increases.
Direct Certification: No need to fill out application
Vermont children living in households that receive food stamps are automatically eligible for free school meals. In Vermont, school districts use direct certification to qualify children for free meals without requiring the family to submit an application. Each October, the state's Food Stamp Program sends a letter to the child’s school to identify and certify for school meals (without additional applications) those children in households currently receiving these benefits. Parents receive a letter from the school letting them know that their child is automatically eligible.
Families who become eligible for food stamps later in the school year may request a letter from the food stamp office verifying the child’s eligibility for school meals.
Assistance with Applying
Call this toll free number: 1-800-908-5510, if you need assistance filling out the free or reduced- price school meal application. Staff from the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger will assist you in filling out the application, help determine your eligibility, and answer any questions about the application process. |
